VIRTUALBOY BLOG
If I said there was a tool that could accelerate fixed-sized VHD copies by 10 times, would you be interested? If I said you could instantly provision and boot a new VM from a currently copying VHD file, would you be interested? Well, if the answer is yes, to either of those questions, then I have a couple of tools that you may find useful.
Hat-tip to Dilip, one of our MVPs for File Systems/Storage and author of ‘Inside Windows Storage, for providing the link to VMUtil.
VHDCopy
When you think about it, a fixed-sized VHD, typically, contains a lot of nothing. What I mean by that is, think about it, if you have a 100GB fixed-size VHD, and inside that VHD, you’re only using say, 30GB, why should you have to transfer (for whatever reason) the full 100GB, when only 30GB is actually useful stuff? You could apply the same example to a backup drive – if I had a new backup drive of 1TB, and I’d only backed up 50GB so far, and I needed to move the files somewhere else, what would be quicker to transfer, 50GB or 1TB?
This is just one of many inefficiencies that exist within a file copy of a VM, that VHDCopy solves, by refraining from copying the meaningless portions that exist within a VHD.
Advantages include:
There’s a datasheet here for more information, and you can always head over to the VHDCopy page for more stuff, including download links.
VHDCopEE
Building on VHDCopy, but providing more functionality, particularly around network transfers, as you can see from the table below:
Although it’s not quite clear from the website, depending on the page you’re looking at, both VHDCopy and VHDCopEE do run on the latest Windows OS’s, both Server and Desktop, yet VHDCopy will only accelerate local transfers, rather than network transfers, for which you’ll need VHDCopEE.
More on the ‘bolded’ ones later…
Again, there’s a datasheet here, and you can head over to the VHDCopEE page for more info. You can grab the download here.
VMProv
This one’s pretty darn clever too. Think about it, you want to create a VM from say, a VHD that already exists. So, you copy, and past the VHD, and it takes x-minutes to copy. Using the above technologies, it’ll be quicker, but we’re still going to have to wait until the copy has finished to start the VM, right? Wrong.
VMProv allows a VM to be provisioned and available for use within seconds, well before the accelerated file copy has finished. Once the file copy finishes, the provisioned VM is no different than if it had been utilized after the file copy operation had finished. While the file copy is happening, the VM is fully available, and you may install any updates or new software. All changes made to the VM while the file copy is happening are preserved.
Cool hey?
On top of that, and going back to the bolded points under VHDCopEE, VMprov is designed to be used with Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager R2 and its Rapid Provisioning feature.
Think about using SCVMM – whenever you’re sending out a VHD from the library, it’s typically going to be a file copy process, and the bigger the file, the longer it will take. Using VHDCopEE will speed up the transfer, and combining that with VMProv will mean you can start the VM up without waiting for the VHD to finish copying. Combine that with a Rapid Provisioning PowerShell script, found here, and you’re going to accelerate stuff considerably.
You can read the VMProv datasheet here, and check out the VMProv page for further info. If you want to download it, you can, here.
That’s all from me – make sure you check out the tools if you get chance!
Firstly, a happy new year to you all! If you celebrate Xmas, I hope you had a good one, and if not, I hope you had a relaxing time out of the office.
It seems like ages since I wrote a blog post! 18th December to be precise, which was my last day before a Christmas and New Year break. Zoom forward to 2010, and yet again, there’s a tonne of things to talk about, and not enough time to get it down in words! For those of you interested, my App-V 4.6 series on Virtualboy TV is nearly complete, and is just undergoing the finishing touches on the cutting room floor, plus, as an extra treat, just before Xmas, one of my friend’s, and fellow Matt’s, this time from Quest, came over to record a number of videos on vWorkspace 7.0 on a Microsoft platform. Expect to see these soon!
Anyway, I’m sure many of you have heard about this Windows Server 2008 R2 poster by now, but for those that haven’t, it’s quite a useful reference piece, targeting key Windows Server 2008 R2 technologies by graphically describing the operations and features of those components. In this poster, they’ve included updates to Active Directory Domain Services, Hyper-V R2 features, File Services updates, improvements to IIS, Remote Desktop Services (including VDI), BranchCache, Server Management and the new DirectAccess technologies.
Click to Download
So, you think the PDF is cool? Well, how about going one step further and going into DeepZoom? You’ll need Silverlight, but trust me, it’s worth it…
You can navigate around the poster using the mouse, you scroll wheel, and the buttons in the bottom right of the screen. You can also put it into full screen using the far-right button. Hat tip to James O’Neill for showing me the (silver)light on this one…
That’s it for now, more posts to come soon, including information about upcoming events around System Center, which, if you’re a Partner who’s revenue’s are driven by services, you won’t want to miss them…
Would you classify yourself as a medium sized business? Do you have between 50 and 300 seats in your organisation? If so, a new Microsoft blog, focused on medium-sized businesses, could be right up your street…
Focusing on today’s important topics in medium sized businesses, from cloud computing through to virtualisation, the Medium Sized Business Blog aims to help you to take a fresh look at your resources, strategies and planning through various perspectives and insights, relevant to your business environment.
The blog is still fairly fresh, only a few posts old in fact, but it’s a useful resource to add to your RSS readers, or for those twitterers (?), you can follow the team on there too. The blog will also help you aggregate info from the Microsoft Medium Sized Business Centre, which has a wide array of information designed for the medium sized business.
If that tickle’s your fancy, or you’re just plain curious, head on over to the Medium Sized Business Blog. It’s important to note that the actual blog is full size, but the content is aimed at Medium Sized Businesses… ;-)
I’ve had a number of requests for this type of documentation, and it seems like it’s released under the radar, without a fanfare of sorts, however this could be one of the most important sets of documentation that you read around Hyper-V R2. Obviously, this information should be combined with any storage-vendor-specific information, such as that from NetApp.
Firstly, what is Cluster Shared Volumes?
“Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) is a feature that simplifies the configuration and management of Hyper-V virtual machines in failover clusters. With CSV, on a failover cluster that runs Hyper-V, multiple virtual machines can use the same LUN (disk) yet fail over (or move from node to node) independently of one another. CSV provides increased flexibility for volumes in clustered storage—for example, it allows you to keep system files separate from data to optimize disk performance, even if the system files and the data are contained within virtual hard disk (VHD) files. If you choose to use live migration for your clustered virtual machines, CSV can also provide performance improvements for the live migration process”
‘Simples’, right? Yes, in concept, but planning the layout and sizing of your disks is a more complicated proposition. Thankfully, here’s the guidance:
Hopefully that helps with any storage questions you may have around CSV!
For those of you in the know, you’ll be aware that, for some time now, we’ve supported SUSE Linux on Hyper-V. Through our ongoing work and collaboration with Novell, focused on interoperability, joint customers can safely, and in a performant manner, run Novell SUSE Linux on a Hyper-V platform, and Windows Server OS’s, on a SUSE Linux platform. To enable a more performant, and optimised experience for the Linux OS on Hyper-V, Microsoft and Novell have worked together to produce Integration Components that, once installed within the VM, optimise it’s performance and give a much better experience overall.
The big question is, is how do you install them, and configure them? How to you optimise that VM on Hyper-V? I’d love to show you myself, but the guys from Microsoft in the US have saved me a job! So far, a 2-part video series has been produced, focusing on the install, configuration and more.
Here’s Part 1:
Here’s Part 2:
Definitely worth a watch if you’re thinking of installing and configuring SUSE on Hyper-V, and make sure you make them full screen to make all the detail out!
There’s been a lot in the press just recently around Microsoft and HP working together on joint initiatives, and trust me, it’s great news. If you’ve not seen all the announcements, there’s a simplified version of the announcement here.
Jump back a few weeks though, 8th December to be precise, where NetApp and Microsoft Announce Three-Year Pact Spanning Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Storage Management which for me, really topped off a fantastic 12-18 months I’ve had working closely with NetApp, who I believe, have been one of the most proactive vendors Microsoft works with today. Go back to November 2008, at NetApp Insight 2008, in Prague. I’d been invited over to deliver a joint Microsoft and NetApp speaking slot, on Hyper-V with NetApp technologies. The room was near full, so the interest was there, but it was clear to see from things like the keynote speeches, that VMware were the big virtualisation player that NetApp were playing ball with, though Hyper-V was acknowledged as up and coming. To me, and my NetApp counterpart Steve Winfield (who co-starred in the NetApp & Hyper-V video series on Virtualboy TV (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)), this wasn’t the position we wanted the Microsoft virtualisation solution to be in, so we worked tirelessly to help drive interest between mutual customers, in both platforms. Whether it was through video, blog, or face to face meetings, perception and awareness, even just on our small scale, were starting to change. Fast forward to November 2009, at NetApp Insight 2009, in Athens, Greece. This time round, hotel bomb-threats aside, Microsoft were a Gold Sponsor, (VMware were still Platinum :-(), which meant not only did we have a dedicated session, to talk about the business benefits of the joint platform, not just focussing on virtualisation, but Steve and I also got the chance to deliver not one, but two technical Hyper-V & NetApp sessions, focussing on Hyper-V, System Center, SnapManager for Hyper-V and more. The change, for me, in 12 months was excellent, and to cap the year off with this joint announcement, as I indicated earlier, was the icing on the cake. NetApp, with recent innovations in the SnapManager brand, along with SnapMirror, and more recent still, ApplianceWatch, combined with dedicated NetApp-Microsoft blog resources, are really starting to show that there is a massive opportunity for joint engagement, and long may it continue.
Would I expect NetApp to drop any relationship that would be considered competitive to Microsoft? Nope! Don’t be daft! Is the relationship up to the level that they have with VMware? Time will tell on that one, but it’s a massive step forward from where we were 18 months ago, and it’ll only get stronger through this alliance.
So, on to the aim of the post!!
Webcast - Virtualize SharePoint and SQL Server Now - Maximize Efficiency and Availability with Hyper-V R2 and NetApp Are you considering running Microsoft Office SharePoint or SQL Server in a virtual environment? Join us for a live Webcast to learn how you can increase resource utilization, streamline management, and maximize uptime in your Microsoft environment. Luther Allin of Miller & Martin PLLC will also discuss how establishing a de facto standard of virtualization based on Hyper-V with NetApp storage has enabled the law firm to:
If you’d like to see what this infrastructure looks like, take a look below:
26 VMs across 3 Hyper-V R2 hosts, with SnapMirror replication across to a DR site – very nice :-) They’re also utilising the System Center suite of technologies, including SCVMM, SCOM and SCCM for comprehensive management of the insides, and outsides of the guest VMs. No sign of DPM, but that’s understandable seeing as they’re using SnapManager for Exchange and SQL. DeDupe is giving them big savings from a storage efficiency perspective. No sign of ApplianceWatch on here, but seeing as it’s a) free and b) integrated with SCOM and his current NetApp technologies, I’m sure it’s in there somewhere!
The webcast will take place tonight, 14th January, from 7pm to 8pm GMT (11am-12midday Pacific Time)
To find out more, make sure you register for the webcast here and don’t forget about the all important Data Protection Manager Webcast that’s on just before it!
Back in October 2008, I was in the North-West with one of our Virtualisation Partners, Nviron, with, at the time, a prospective customer; Chester Zoo. When you think of Chester Zoo, or, any zoo in fact, the last thing that typically springs to mind is IT, especially virtualisation. When you think zoo, you think monkeys, zebras, and occasionally, the odd giant wildebeest, but not Live Migrating VMs and High Availability along with more acronyms than you can shake a stick at.
Anyway, Chester Zoo, like many organisations, were evaluating virtualisation platforms, and at the time, we discussed the Microsoft virtualisation options that were on the table. Namely, a released Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, and an upcoming R2. We also went into a fair amount of discussion around the management of said virtual estate, and the value of the System Center management suite.
Zoom forward a few months, and Chester Zoo, along with Nviron, were part of the Rapid Deployment Program (RDP) for R2, and deploying, with Microsoft/Partner support, pre-released code into production.
Zoom forward to November 2009, and Phil Morris, Chester Zoo’s IT Chief, is on stage at TechEd Europe, in the keynote, talking about how Chester Zoo benefited from the R2 technologies. Awesome stuff, and you know what they say…from small acorns…
If you’re interested in finding out more about their deployment, and their experiences with the technology, and what it’s given them from a technology and business perspective, yet also, explore how they went through the analysis, planning, piloting and roll-out of their virtualisation project, their motivations and most importantly the business requirements which led them to consider virtualisation technology as the answer, then this webcast could be for you.
If you’re interested, head on over to this page on The Register, register (sorry!) and enjoy! It takes place on the 21st January, at 11am GMT.
Some of you may already be aware of this, but for those of you interested in keeping technologies like AD, System Center Operations Manager, and Hyper-V running smoothly, the first in a series of MOF Reliability Workbooks may be of use. If you’re not au-fait with MOF (a bit like me!)…
Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 incorporates the core requirements of industry best practices and frameworks into one free, easy-to-understand set of guidance. MOF 4.0 delivers practical guidance for everyday IT practices and activities, helping IT professionals establish and implement reliable, cost-effective IT services. It integrates community-generated processes; governance, risk, and compliance activities; management reviews; and Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) best practices. MOF 4.0 is a framework that provides guidance across the IT service lifecycle
As I said, the current guides available address AD, SCOM and Hyper-V, but there are more to come. In a nutshell, this series of workbooks provides the knowledge, specific tasks, and schedules needed to keep technologies running smoothly so you can deliver the services your organization expects. Each workbook includes maintenance and monitoring tasks, common risk areas, and standard changes for the ongoing care of specific technologies. The series also includes an administrator’s guide for customizing these technologies for your organisation.
If you’re interested, and would like to download the free guide (currently in beta), you can grab it from here: https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=1880&InvitationID=SAMI-HWK9-XB3Y&SiteID=14
Earlier today, I was having a brief conversation over email with one of the chaps over at Intel UK, who had a question around Windows Server 2008 R2’s use of Turbo Boost, which is a capability of the Xeon 5500 (Nehalem), that allows those processors to achieve additional performance when it is most useful. Some of you may relate this almost to a controlled, automated overclocking as and when necessary. Now, although I’d say my knowledge of Windows Server 2008 R2 is pretty good, I didn’t know the answer to this little belter, so I bing’d.
The Performance Tuning Guidelines for Windows Server 2008 R2 is what I found.
Aside from answering the question around Turbo Boost (see pages 14-16 of the doc if you’re interested in tweaking Turbo Boost in R2 to kick in on the ‘balanced’ power setting, as usually, by default, it’s only applicable on High Performance), I found there was a wealth of info on Web, RDS, Hyper-V and more. If you want a more exhaustive list:
Very useful indeed, and at just over 90 pages, we’re not talking a novel here. If you’re interested, grab it here.
Had a few cracking documents sent across to me from Steve Winfield, NetApp Consulting Systems Engineer in the UK, (and member of the Curry Council) which are particularly useful if you’re scoping out a Hyper-V & NetApp combo, and also if you’re planning on running Exchange, SQL and SharePoint on Hyper-V with a MetroCluster stretched across the WAN!
Now, although these documents are obviously aimed at NetApp Storage backends, some of the best practice hints and tips will be applicable to Hyper-V on other platforms too, however, if you’re using NetApp and Hyper-V, you’ll find this info spot on.
One of the key contributors to these documents (at least 2 of the 3!) is NetApp’s Chaffie McKenna, who is also one of the authors on the NetApp MSEnviro blog, which provides a number of useful pieces of information around the 2 vendors’ technologies. One for the RSS reader I believe!
Have a good weekend!